


Grimm Vigil

by Sparky29252



Category: Death Vigil (Comics), RWBY
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Gen, Lovecraftian Monster(s), Necromancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2019-09-18 01:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16985133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparky29252/pseuds/Sparky29252
Summary: The battle between the True Primordial called The Thorn and the Death Vigil (assisted by Mia and Heinrich) the Veil temporarily fluctuates, and a small time necromancer finds himself warped to the world of Remnant. Where it turns out Necromancy and Grimm make an... interesting combination that Salem is willing to make use of. Now teams RWBY and JNR (Plus Oscar and Qrow) face a new and terrifying enemy. One that needs a new team of allies.Takes place after Death Vigil volume 1 (and only) and RWBY season 5.





	1. A Fateful Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is the setup, almost a prologue, the next chunk should be up soon, with a massively expanded character list. (By which I mean a large chunk of the New York Vigil, Teams RWBY and RNJ, Qrow and Oscar)

New York City. Present day.

  
“SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!” Rob yelled to himself, sprinting through the ruined streets. The place was going to hell, thousands dead, comatose, or permanently driven mad. The streets were torn up from the damage of the battle and now that damn Primordial was locked in battle with the Vigil. This was not what he had signed up for. All he wanted was a bit of power, maybe a little revenge, and some kicks you know? He hadn’t planned on sitting around for the end of the world, or getting sealed by The Digger and his crew. So when things turned south he did what his mentor Simon had taught him to do. He ran.

  
“Seriously man? Running from this? They won’t last ten minutes against The Thorn.” The voice in Rob’s head insisted. It took the form of a friend of his, Vincent, who had died of an overdose years ago. They both knew it was a polite fiction but “Vince” had fallen into the habit of keeping a human shape when he wasn’t needed.

  
“Shut up Vince.” Rob managed between breaths “Doesn’t matter now. If they lose, great, I’ll go carve out a kingdom somewhere. If they win, I don’t want to be anywhere near the action. Either way I would rather not get flattened by a flying car.” He paused in an alleyway, his lungs giving out, and took a moment to gather his breath. “And I sure as hell don’t want any part of whatever THAT is!” He punctuated this with a glare at the sky. It was a broad scintillating storm, neither lightning nor sunlight that hurt to look at and seemed to cover the world.

  
“It’s called the Veil numbnuts, and it’s how those assholes move from place to place. Once we rip it open all my friends can join us.” Vince countered, appearing to sit on a trashcan across the way. “God you are such a coward.”

  
“Oh shut up. I die and you get stuck back in the pit.”

  
Vince just shrugged. “Only for a little while meatsack; I’ll come back. You guys always want more and we,” He gestured to himself with a flourish “Can always provide.”  
Neither of them heard the crack as The Thorn’s carapace was split by the Reaper’s scythe, or the unearthly howl of a true Primordial in pain. Instead all that Rob and Vince experienced was a sudden flood of unbelievable excruciating torment as the Veil warped and fluctuated around them, briefly splitting asunder and swallowing the small-time necromancer and his “friend” whole.

Time became impossible to measure, everything was pain and confusion. The world was nothing but an eerie light that seared every cell of Rob’s body and kept Vince screaming, his form melting from that of a short smiling human into a writhing mass of tentacles, chitinous limbs, staring eyes and slavering mouths. And as quickly as it started it was over. Rob had one brief moment of conciousness, was vaguely aware that he appeared to be falling towards a forest, and then passed out entirely. Vince held out slightly longer and manged to manifest a tentacle to slow them down before host and necromantic parasite both passed out completely.

 

A forest in the Kingdom of Vale

“She wants on recon does she?” Tyrian muttered to himself, trudging through the greenery. His narrow face, usually split by a wide manic grin, was downcast. The Scorpion faunus muttered to himself, heedless of the dangers of the forest. He certainly didn’t need to fear the creatures of Grimm, and there was no hunter or huntress alive that could take him, even if he was missing his tail. Okay so that brat and her bird uncle had managed it but they had been lucky. And cheated. And now he was on this humiliating assignment. He was one of Salem’s generals wasn’t he? Hand picked to help in her schemes. And he had sent her on recon duty to find out why some knot of Grimm had disappeared. It was beyond ridiculous. It had just been some newbie hunter from an academy surely.  
Lost in thought and irrational anger as he was the lean man failed to notice movement in the trees near him, at least at first. But his watcher wasn’t that stealthy so even consumed by rage the experienced killer took notice before long. Tensing despite himself he extended the blades on his wrists, and the new one attached to his stump of a tail.

“Come out come out wherever you are.” He called mockingly and to his surprise someone actually stepped out of the trees. A short man, pale with sandy blond hair in desperate need of a wash, his shirt was off, revealing an intricate network of tattooes across his chest and shoulders. He looked half dazed and it took a moment for him to take in the large most of a tail behind Tyrian’s back. He blinked and looked at the faunus in open confusion.

“Yes I know he has a tail, more importantly he can talk.” The man muttered to himself. Tyrian, no stranger to less than stable states of sanity just shrugged and stalked closer, wanting to savor this, even if the idiot didn’t look like he could put up a fight. He was hoping the idiot would try to run, turn it into a nice little chase before he got cut to pieces. But the man just stood there, his back to a tree, and cocked his head at the approaching faunus.

“Listen man, it’s been an incredibly long day and I don’t have time for bullshitting. Where am I and where can I get food?” He was aiming for calm but there was an edge to his voice that betrayed how confused and hungry he really was.

“Oh don’t worry, that won’t be a problem much longer!” Tyrian started calm but his voice escalated to a mad yell as he leapt, striking almost faster than the human eye could track, blades aimed squarely at the man’s tattooed chest. Unfortunately while human eyes had a hard time tracking him, primordial eyes can be rather quicker on the uptake. In the same moment that the scorpion faunus tried to strike he found his blows deflected by long spidery limbs. The tattoos, previously such a perfect bullseye were now livid and pulsing slightly, each circle a dark red eye staring at him. The man spoke again as he pushed himself forward, more dark appendages twisting out of him and lifting him up. His voice was different, there was an echo to it, and he sounded supremely tired.

“I wanted a steak or something.” He proclaimed, rushing Tyrian and swiftly trading blows. “I wanted something tasty. But I guess you’ll have to do.” Tyrian jumped into a tree and made a diving strike, slicing off one of the tentacles that lashed out at him. His eyes were wide. This guy didn’t have any aura. And he certainly wasn’t some new grimm. Salem would have told him, wouldn’t she? He snarled and turned again, scything down another leg. The man didn’t seem to care as more sprouted from him and a strange darkness, deeper and more fluid than that of the Grimm, started to engulf his body.

“What are you?!” Tyrian screamed in frustration and annoyance as he redoubled his attack. But he was on the defensive now, cutting down limbs and deflecting them but feeling some get through, striking against him, depleting his aura. Frustrated he was forced back, the strange man covered in eyes advancing now with a dark hunger apparent in his eyes, even the ones on his chest.

“I’m a necromancer, emissary of the pale court!” The stranger roared in challenge. “I am bound to the primordial forces more ancient and terrible than you can imagine. And I will feast on your flesh you pathetic bug man!” Rob the Necromancer surged forward, a seething mass of dark unholy flesh utterly divorced from any sane understanding of biology, or from even the amorphous nature of the grimm. Mouths ringed with jagged razor sharp teeth drooled and gnashed for flesh, Segmented limbs and long tentacles stretched out, searching for an opening in Tyrian’s defenses, surrounding and engulfing him. And as much as he thrashed he couldn’t stop them. His jeers gave way to a panicked laughter as he continued swinging, his eyes turning purple as instinct took over and his biology tried to pump venom into a tail that was capped. And as many times as he did manage to gouge out a seeking red eye or knock out a row of teeth there were always more of them. Always getting closer. This wasn’t a fight and it never had been. It was a murder.

Or it would have been. But as he was crying and thrashing in desperation Tyrian was amazed to find the pressure easing. The limbs backing off. Exhausted, his aura nearly depleted his counter attack was checked only by the sight that greeted him. The necromancer was lowering himself to the ground, the tide of unnatural flesh disappearing or retreating entirely as Tyrian’s Queen, his Goddess, stepped out of a shadow. Tyrian instantly took a knee in both fear and reverence. The stranger on the other hand stood proud, his eyes still red, meeting Salem’s crimson gaze as she approached.

“I’ll thank you not to kill one of my lieutenants.” She finally said, walking around the stranger, towering over him.

“Thank you Godde” Tyrian began, only to be silenced a moment later by a swift glare from Salem. She didn’t speak to him, she didn’t need to. He knew better than to press on. She returned her gaze to the man standing in front of her, turning slowly to keep her in his vision.

“I must admit, I’ve lived long enough that I thought I had run out of surprises. But apparently not.” The Queen of the Grimm was smiling to herself. “Tell me, Necromancer, do you have a name? Or just the title? And what of this pale court you mentioned?”

Rob stayed standing, his power kept just in check. Tyrian looked closely and realized that some of those eyes were still watching him. And the guy still had no aura that could be sensed. But there was a power to him. That darkness that lived just beneath the surface.

“My name is Robert. My friends call me Rob. And don’t worry about the court. Based on how you look you would already know about them if they were here.” He inclined his head to Salem, indicating her unnaturally white skin and darkened eyes.

“Rob? Clearly you aren’t from around here, with a name like that.” Salem’s grin widened. “Well Rob you are right, I’ve never heard of this pale court. But I know ambition when I see it. And, well, I could kill you, if I wanted to.” The smile crystalized and gained an edge as she watched the necromancer tense, more dark shadows crawling out of him. “Oh don’t bother, I’m not going to. You need someone who can show you around. And it’s obvious your... talents, can be useful. So, why don’t you come with me? I’m sure we can have a mutually beneficial arrangement.” The ancient woman and young necromancer both relaxed fractionally as Salem extended a hand.  
“So, come with me and we can discuss how we might help each other.” Rob eyed her cautiously and slowly extended a hand, which for the moment appeared to be perfectly normal flesh.

“I’ll need some food.” He noted dispassionately, though a growl entered his voice as he continued. “Live food.” He flashed a grin at Tyrian, still cowering on the ground.

“That can be arranged.” Salem agreed, shaking his hand. “Tyrian, I suspect I found what killed my Grimm. So you have a new assignment. Bring in a few, meals for Rob here. Alive.” Her look brooked no argument and the cowed madman just nodded and shivered, backing away slowly.

“If he’s the best you’ve got then I can see why you need me.” Rob smirked.

“He isn’t the best, but still your methods are fascinating.” Salem turned and lead Rob deeper into the trees, heading back to her strange and isolated castle.


	2. Oh Toto I don't think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now the entrance of the Vigil into the world of Remnant.

Upstate New York, Vigil House, Some Weeks Later

 

The knock on Clara’s door shook her out of a reverie. She looked up and realized that every wall of her room was completely covered in doodles, with even more hanging in the air, all in the same scintillating white and purple that marked all the veil rippers. It was surprisingly easy to get lost in thought when one didn’t need to eat, or use the bathroom. Or sleep. She waved away the cluster of drawing around the door and opened it to find half the house waiting for her. James and Mia, for once neither had a game system in hand, Allistor looking grumpy as usual, even Grace was leaning on her cane with Hugin on her shoulder. Bernie stood at the front of the group, smiling broadly at Clara and beckoning her forward. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Clara asked, stepping out and closing the door behind her, more curious than cautious around her friends. She noticed that everyone, except Allistor of course, seemed to be in higher spirits than she had seen since the battle of New York.

“Well since things have been kind of quiet since we kicked the Pale Court’s ass…” Bernie began, “And seeing as what night it is, we’ve decided to go out to celebrate.” 

“What night is it? Did I miss a holiday? Do we still have holidays?” 

“Of course we do, you should see Bernie when she decides to play Santa.” Sam interjected from a bit further back. “But this is something a bit more personal.” He nudged the gloomy looking necromancer in front of him. “Go on, tell her.” Allistor heaved a sigh and looked for a moment like he was going to remain silent, but a look from Mia convinced him to keep talking. 

“James was going through a calendar app to solve some puzzle in a game, and with Mia’s help realized that he thinks that tonight is my birthday.” The necromancer rounded on the shortest human member of the vigil. “Even though I reminded him that the Julian Calendar is almost two weeks off of Gregorian.” 

“Close enough in my book” The cardmaster replied with a smirk. “Besides it was Mia’s idea, blame her.” The short dark haired girl next to him just smiled at her father, the picture of contrived innocence. 

“Aaanyways” Bernie continued to forestall any more arguments. “We figured we would go out to celebrate. Wanna come?” 

“Sure, why not? Where are we going?” Clara asked, joining the group as it moved down the hallway.   
“Oh, nowhere particular,” Bernie said “just a walking tour of European ruins. It’s like those ‘feel old yet’ memes. Only, on a more appropriate scale.” Her grin hid just a hint of malice for the surly man standing beside her. And without further delay she tore open the Veil, it’s shimmering light spilling into the kitchen as Bernie split the very fabric of reality with her scythe and ushered everyone through. 

“Please keep your arms and legs inside the glowing void at all times. Reap-Air is not responsible for any discomfort, confusion, or existential pondering that your experience may cause.” 

“Seriously Bernie?” Sam asked as he stepped through. “Not letting Reap-Air go?” Bernadette didn’t deign to answer him, instead continuing the stewardess/ride attended schtick and riding it for all it was worth. In a moment everyone was through and reality quietly zippered itself shut again. 

Moments later however things went very very wrong. As the Vigil and their allies were floating through the void a darkness appeared beneath them, growing and spreading rapidly. Like ink spilling onto an infinite canvas it swallowed up the light of the Vail and turned everything to a seething roiling mass of darkness, occasionally laced with painful and livid red light. 

“Anyone more experienced than me want to clue me in?” Clara asked in desperation. But no answers came, or at least no useful ones. Just a chorus of confusion and anxiety in the face of absolute unknowns. 

“Clara please tell me you have Starlock on you.” Bernie called back over the confused babble. “The scythe isn’t letting us land.” 

“Will that even work in here?”

“It’s the best we’ve got.” Hugin the raven called out, swooping down to her. “You’ve always got an unpaired portal in your room.” 

“Okay, here goes.” Twisting wildly as the normally calm currents of the Veil turned to an ethereal undertow Clara threw herself into making a rough circle as widely as she could. It crackled with energy, supercharged by being in the source of it’s power, and opened onto a far more mundane darkness than the surging mass approaching them. 

“Wait, that isn’t my room!” Clara yelled as Hugin started to dive for the hole in reality. 

“But it’s better than here.” James yelled back as he followed the raven. Clara’s panic only increased as she realized that the portal on the other end must be moving. The shadows were shifting and whipping around wildly, occasional shafts of light appearing in a variety of colors. But she couldn’t argue with James and in the time it took to understand what she was seeing Mia and Allistor had already followed. All that left was Sam, Bernie, Grace and herself. Moving with surprising dexterity for her apparent age Grace shifted into a graceful dive and hit the portal feet first, disappearing instantly. Bernie followed, shoved forward by Sam. Clara was the last through, momentarily paralyzed by fear and by, something else. Something familiar in that approaching dark mass that now covered all the visible “horizon” and was creeping upward. Her introspection was interrupted by a ferocious itch on her back. And by Sam’s hand managing to snag on the edge of the portal long enough for him to grab her and bring her through. She landed hard on the ground, woozy but mostly unharmed.    


Clara rose to her feet, slightly unsteady and disoriented by fall, and realized that while she wasn’t alone her group had rather dwindled. She was in a field on the side of a dirt road. Sam was grumbling to himself and helping a disheveled looking Bernie out of a ditch. Above a white speck circled, Hugin scouting area from above. There was no sign of James, Mia, Allistor or Grace. Eventually they all stood together as the white raven dropped out of the sky. Bernie was the first one to ask what was on everyone’s mind. 

“Any idea where we are? Or where the rest are?” She was every inch the calm leader she always tried to be for the Vigil, but even so her concern was obvious. Hugin hung his head. 

“No sign of them anywhere nearby, but no signs of struggle or anything so I don’t think they got dragged off.” It was a small comfort but it beat finding corpses. Not that any of them were all that frail but it had been a strange day. “There is smoke a few miles off, might be a town or something. But I’ve flown over almost every inch of the planet and I have no idea where we are.” 

“Well you haven’t been to Africa lately, a lot may have changed.” Clara looked up, taking in the sky as Bernie and Hugin tried to sort where they were. But what she saw stunned her completely.

“Maybe.” Hugin agreed. He would have continued but he noticed Clara trembling and raising a finger skyward. He cocked his head to get a view of the sky he had neglected previously and let out an undignified squawk. The rest of the group had similar reactions. 

Even though it was day the moon was out, and it was broken. A huge chunk was missing, sprayed out in a dense cluster of stones still stuck in orbit but clearly no longer connected. It was an act of destruction on an unimaginable scale, even for those used to fighting horrors from the primordial depths. 

“First one to say the Toto line gets pecked in the forehead.” Hugin finally managed in the collective stunned silence. Any further discussion was interrupted by a high pitched mechanical whine that shattered the silence as it grew louder and closer. 

“Hugin, you failed to mention the motorcycle.” Sam noted dryly. 

“I got a bit distracted by the fact that someone apparently BROKE THE MOON.” Hughin huffed. “But yes, there is a motorcycle, blond woman driving it, and it must have some hauling power since there are about half a dozen people in a cart on the back.” 

“Any chance they are friendly?” Clara asked, desperate for some good news. 

“There’s no way to find out but asking.” Bernie responded, standing up and walking towards the middle of the road. Her scythe was still in her hand, though her hood was down and she looked more like a cosplayer than the Grim Reaper. In moments the motorcycle was in view and getting closer, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it on the loose packed dirt road. A woman in a long coat was driving it, bent over and gunning for speed as she closed in. She occasionally risked a glance over her shoulder and almost didn’t see Bernie in time, slewing to a stop and causing a chorus of shouts from the cart behind her as she halted just in front of the pale woman. 

“What the?” She yelled, pulling off her helmet to reveal long flowing blond hair. Her eyes flashed red as she took one step towards Bernie, “What are you doing out here? Those mutated Grimm are coming after us!” Her voice was entirely unmasked anger and frustration. Bernie, initially troubled by the eyes and not having any idea what was going on, looked past the woman to see what she meant. Strange dark forms were emerging from the dust cloud, moving with obvious murderous intent. 

“Vigil! We’ve got company!” She bellowed, sprouting a pair of wings to act as recon while the others emerged from the tiny ditch they had contrived to hide in. Clara looked nervous but determined, Starlock in her hand still sparking strangely. Sam already had his Veil Rippers in hand, eyes searching an enemy. And with an earth shaking wordless roar Hugin emerged, a giant albino feathered Allosaurus stalking forward with intent. 

The blond girl looked entirely drained and overwhelmed as the Vigil members strode past her and into the settling dust to meet whatever as coming. 

“Or I guess you could fight.” She said softly before doubling back to the cart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, next up a glorious action scene and now that I have everyone on the playing field (sort of) time to start pinging them off of each other.


	3. The First Strike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we begin to see what our necromancer has wrought and finally a bit of team RWBY and the Vigil together. Next up, dialogue.

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby asked, stunned after the vigil had passed by the cart they were resting in. 

“Yes Ruby?” The Schnee heiress was gazing slack jawed at the trio that had passed them. 

“Is that huge, feathery, thing one of yours maybe? Like another Grimm you beat up before we met you?”

“Definitely not. And the colors are all wrong, none of my stuff is purple.” 

“Fair enough. Just.. what happened?” Neither had moved a muscle as they watched the unfamiliar people, and presumed ancient Grimm beast, stride towards the roiling line of monsters approaching them. It was surreal to see. By comparison the woman sprouting wings was just either her being a faunus or having an unusual semblance. Absently part of Ruby’s mind noted that none of them seemed to be carrying any guns, and the weapons they did have seemed more solid than the transforming personal multiweapons hunters and huntresses carried. 

“Should we help them?” Blake asked, recovering from her shock slightly faster. “I mean, I know we were running but I guess they count as reinforcements?” 

“I mean, I guess? But even with them helping will it be enough? We need at least one more team.” Yang put in leaning over the cart. Weiss looked torn, and Ruby slightly unsure of herself. 

“Uncle Qrow, Oscar? Any thoughts?” She addressed the final two inhabitants of the somewhat crowded cart. The young man was still wide eyed, gripping the cane of his forebearer tightly in a near panic and muttering under his breath. The older man relaxing in his corner and staring into nothing cast one look at the rapidly approaching line and the three figures standing against it. “Won’t matter either way if we just argue. It’s your call pipsqueak.” 

Ruby’s gaze hardened, her body stiffening in preparation for a fight as she stood up and unfolded the massive scythe called Crescent Rose. 

“They almost sounded like they knew something. And we can’t leave them to just die. If we stand together at least we might be able to retreat safely.” The rest of team RWBY nodded, each taking a moment to check ammunition and breath before the fight. “Uncle Qrow, we could use your help.” The surly huntsman nodded and started to  rise, unfolding his own scythe with more care. Ruby turned to Oscar, still staring into the distance. Her touch seemed to bring him out of the trance he was in. 

“Oscar, are you with us?” She asked, quietly. He nodded. 

“Oz is still hiding, I think he’s afraid of these things now. But I’ll do my best. What’s the worst they can do? Kill me?” A brief look of regret passed on the kid’s face at his own dark joke. He took up the cane and gulped audibly. “I’m ready Ruby. Let’s do this.” 

“Alright everyone.” Ruby said, raising her voice. “Pick a partner and stick with them. They don’t look helpless but something seems off. Oscar stays near the group and Uncle Qrow..” She paused momentarily to figure out what to say. As she did so the winged woman dive bombed the oncoming hoard, screaming as she cut down a Grimm that had been towering over the others. “Yeah, do that.” Ruby finished. 

 

\--------

 

For all their bravado the Death Vigil, or at least the bits of it that were present, felt nervous. There wasn’t a single banshee or the like to be seen in the oncoming hoard, which was a relief, but on the other side none of the creatures looked familiar except in the vaugest sense. 

“What are they?” Clara asked, already leaving portals around her for a quick escape or to confuse whatever tried to attack her. 

“Can’t tell” Hugin’s voice remained unchanged as a dinosaur, but was tinged with a slight unease. “But they don’t look friendly.” 

Bernie landed with the rest of the group with a thump. “Whatever they are for some reason the scythe works on them, but they definitely aren’t liches.” She adjusted her grip on the ancient weapon, and source of her power, and prepared to launch again. “Remember Vigil, we preserve life.” And then she was gone, already wheeling overhead to strike the next likely target. Sam’ pickaxe and shovel were at his sides, hanging loose in his grip as he stared down the oncoming hoard. 

“I can’t seem to call up my friends.” He stated flatly. “After this is over I have some very pointed questions to ask whoever knows wherever this is.” He hoisted the heavy veilrippers over his shoulders with practiced ease. “But for now, let’s dance.” 

And then the hoard was on top of them. They were innumerable, a roiling mass of blackness and anger, intercut with strange white face masks and glowing red or yellow eyes. They seemed to give off an odd black miasma as they moved, tinged ever so slightly with the purple that seemed common to necromancers and the vigil. And they looked like animals, distorted and emaciated wolves, huge boars, double headed snakes and more flashed out of the dark tide. Each of the vigil roared a challenge in reply and practically shone with a strange internal light. And the hoard broke against them. 

Hugin, towering over all the others, stomped and slashed and bit, cleaving a path through them that left quickly dissipating bodies behind. Beside him Sam ‘The Digger’ sent his pick through skulls and cleaved limbs off with the improbably sharp edge of his shovel. Even Clara made a name for herself, her portals confusing the creatures as they made a wild attack, only to find themselves striking at a comrade or flailing in the air. And while Starlock was not much of a weapon on it’s own their flesh still dissolved at it’s touch, revealing the creatures beneath. They were still clearly abominations, but they grew slower, less organized, more animalistic as the necrotic energy of the adversaries sloughed off of their unnatural flesh. Above Bernie continued her patrol, bisecting anything that was to large for the others to counter easily. In seconds the casualties were mounting. But it wasn’t enough. 

For all the might and experience of this small part of the Death Vigil these were enemies they didn’t recognize, and as much as they cut them down more kept coming. Slowly the circle shrank as more and more of the hoard pressed in. But none of them mentioned yielding. None even so much as thought it. Necromancy was at work here and their duty was to see it destroyed. And so they fought on, increasingly desperate, striking wildly against a foe seemingly without number, backing against each other as they were surrounded. It would take a lot to kill a member of the vigil but this seemed like it might just do the trick. Clara, Sam and Hugin fought, pressed together, while Bernie watched from above, now cleaving huge swaths of necromantic flesh from non existent bones rather than striking with surgical precision. But still it wasn’t enough, and the three members of the Vigil on the ground were forced closer and closer together. 

Until, that is, a screaming blur of red and yellow barrelled through a weak point in the line of grimm and resolved itself into two young women, the tall statuesque blond that Bernie had spoken with and a shorter silver eyed girl holding a scythe that made The Thorn look miniscule. The shorter one pulled a catch somewhere in the hilt and a bullet ran through a rank of Grimm, dissolving them instantly. The momentum of the shot carried the girl in a wide arc, her blade cleaving dark flesh and leaving a trail of quickly dissipating bodies. 

“Yang!” she yelled out. “Ursa!” And indeed a colossal bear like creature was roaring in challenge, standing as tall as Hugin the allosaur and covered in spines. The blond just smiled and made a flying leap, eyes flashing red as she smashed one fist into it’s massive form. A shuddering muffled explosion heralded the thing’s demise as a shotgun blast ripped through it. The girl dropped to the ground through one of the creature’s smaller companions and stood with obvious pleasure as she continued to brawl. 

Overhead Bernie continued her strafing runs, desperately hacking through the teeming mass in a bid to lessen the weight on her family. When suddenly there was another presence beside her. 

“Hugin what are you..” the question ended unfinished when she realized the corvid beside her was the rather more traditional black instead of the stark white of the eldest of the Vigil. Another question rose to mind fairly quickly though when the bird turned into a disheveled man in a cape and grey shirt with a gigantic segmented scythe rapidly plummeting towards the ground. The apparent shape shifting vagrant impacted hard, sending more Grimm flying before he turned back into a bird and rejoined Bernie in the sky. Not wanting to look a gift crow in the mouth the Reaper returned to her work. 

The final two combatants introduced themselves more quietly. Sam, growing weary from the fight despite his undead vigor, failed to notice a charging wolf in time. It would have driven it’s claws deep into his back if not for a lithe girl with shining white hair sliding into place behind him. She skewered the beowolf with her rapier easily before sliding into a defensive pose, calling on an arcane energy to summon glyphs that served to puncture the oncoming attackers with arcing beams of light. And finally Clara found the pressure around her suddenly broken as a ninja appeared to flit out of nowhere, disappearing as quickly as she came, leaving a trail of destruction and tricking the creatures through Clara’s portals. 

With both the squad from the Death Vigil and team RWBY on the battlefield the fight was over. The Grimm just didn’t realize it yet. Both seasoned warriors the two teams started to blend and work together instantly and wordlessly, covering for each other as the horde circled around them, drawing itself into a deathtrap. In minutes it was over, with everyone exhausted but still standing. Walking slowly Qrow and Bernie rejoined the main force. 

“We have a lot to talk about.” They both said simultaneously. 


	4. A Meeting of Scythe Weilders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY, as well as Oscar and Qrow, finally get to talk with the displaced members of The Death Vigil.

Argus   
The nine fighters, plus Oscar, dragged themselves back to the walls of the city and managed to get through with only a passing nod from the guards. It was obvious none of them were Grimm, and with more refugees trickling in as the horde destroyed towns what was a few more people in the cart on the way in than on the way out? They rode in relative silence to the house. Yes they had fought well together and this was enough to earn some trust but both groups had been betrayed often enough to not warm up to the other instantly. Bumblebee, it’s engine whining in protest at the increased load in the cart hitched to it, slowly made its way to a parking space below the house. Nodding politely to each other the members of the Death Vigil followed team RWBY upstairs to a comfortably appointed sitting room. RWBY sat together on the couch while the Vigil arrayed itself on a variety of chairs. Or in the case of Hugin finding a bust upon which to perch over everyone. Qrow leaned against a wall in the corner, keeping a half lidded eye on the proceedings while Oscar took to the stairs, almost hiding between the slats as he watched. The tense silence stretched a while longer as Bernie settled into the largest chair she could find, directly across the coffee table from Ruby Rose. Everyone still had their weapons on hand. Not drawn but clearly at the ready. After another long moment Bernie pulled back her hood, prompting an immediate rise in tension on the part of team RWBY. Yang in particular stood up, her eyes turning quite literally red as her hair seemed to catch fire. 

“It’s SALEM!” She bellowed in challenge. Bernie was already on her feet, scythe at the ready as she stared down the girl. 

“Necromancer” the word came out as a curse when Bernie whispered it, tense and ready to fight. Before either could actually dive for the other’s throat however both Clara and Ruby moved to intervene, rushing to stand in front of their respective team mates. 

“Yang, calm down. That isn’t Salem, at least, I don’t think she is. And if she is then a straight fight right now won’t solve anything.” 

At the same time Clara was trying to placate Bernie. “Hey, Bernie, please calm down. Yes she’s got the red eyes, which I admit is kinda weird. But no tattoos, no tentacles. No extra eyes. Let’s, let’s just hear them out okay?”

The confused mess of pleas served to diffuse the tension a bit and both parties returned to their seats, wary but at least not openly hostile. 

“Well that could have gone better.” Hugin squawked from the pale statue of a huntsmans head that he was perched on. “I don’t know who Salem is, but her name is Bernadette the Reaper. I am Hugin. The big oaf with the mining tools is Sam.” Sam inclined his head towards the teenage girls on the couch. They looked so young. But then again he had been in his mid twenties for over a decade now so it didn’t seem as strange. “And the one who was waving around the magic feather is Clara.” Clara raised her hand in a wave and tried to keep a straight face. Every time she thought she was getting the hang of this new world things just got stranger. “We belong to a group known as the Death Vigil. So that’s half the introductions. And you all are?” 

“Clara, Sam, Bernadette, Hugin?” Weiss answered, some of the old disdain clear in her voice. “What kinds of names are those?” Sam shifted in his chair, one hand going behind his back to grasp the pickaxe. 

“What do you mean ‘what kinds of names are those’? They happen to be our names.” Before things could escalate again Ruby stood up and held up a hand to Weiss to forestall further comment. 

“I’m Ruby Rose, that’s my sister Yang Xiao-Long, Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna. Team, uh, RWBY, if you hadn’t already figured that part out. The one in the corner is my uncle Qrow and the he’s Oscar. Umm, I don’t want to insult you but Vigil is kind of a weird name isn’t it? I mean how do you even get that out of B, S, C and H?” Now it was the Vigil’s turn to look supremely confused. They glanced at each other and tried to make sense of the question. Eventually everyone turned to Bernie, still seated and lounging like she was on a throne. 

“I think we got off on a wrong foot, and have been keeping on that foot since then.” The reaper rose to her full height and smiled at team RWBY. “Team RWBY, thank you for your help in battle today. We weren’t fully aware of what we were fighting and your aid was both timely and invaluable. But we are a little disoriented, and clearly missing something. We would be grateful for any help you could offer.” She smiled at the team and returned to her seat, no longer a formal authority but back to a lounging guest. 

“Okay, so clearly you aren’t from around here.” Blake piped up, her eyes unfocused as she puzzled through what was in front of her. “Unusual names, don’t know what Grimm are, no aura but you do seem to have a semblance.” She muttered under her breath for a moment as the pieces came together and she sounded unsure of herself when she turned to the rest of the team. “Uh, Guys? I think they might be from another world. Either that or that same time from before Ozma and Salem.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous Blake, how could they.” Weiss’s response was cut short when Clara raised her hand and spoke up. 

“Well, I mean we’ve never combined Starlock and the veil before, and something was going wrong with it, and we did get here through a magical portal so… yeah I guess that makes sense. It would explain the moon.” The rest of the Vigil all shrugged and muttered agreement. It was as good a theory as any. 

“Okay, so if that’s true, where are you guys from?” Yang seemed to be calming down a bit and now there was a genuine curiosity in her voice. 

“We call it Earth, early 21st century, I guess if you want a mailing address it’s in upstate New York but I get the feeling you aren’t much for sending mail. Given all of that, where are we now?” Sam asked from the chair he had commandeered. Qrow chose that moment to finally step forward. 

“The world is called Remnant, home to both Faunus and Human. We’re about two generations off of the Great War. You are currently in Argus on the border between Atlas and Mistral. Never heard of a New York, or a York for that matter. Earth I’m guessing is pretty damn common as names go for a planet. Now I’m willing to accept that you” he pointed at Bernie “aren’t Salem’s long lost cousin or something but I’m also willing to bet you do have something to do with the mutated Grimm we’ve been seeing.” Before any of the assembled members of the Vigil could ask he held up a finger while taking a pull from his flask and continued. “Grimm are, well they’re creatures that feed on negative emotions. Dangerous, unpleasant, usually more a nuisance one on one if you know what you’re doing. But lately they’ve been getting nastier. Smarter. And there are more of them. And they’ve been changing physically. Some sort of reddish purple blackness that comes with them. They can still be killed but it’s a lot harder. So I’m guessing you had something to do with that, or at least might know what it is.”

Each member of the Vigil looked at the others, understanding dawning slowly. Hugin spoke first. 

“We really need James for this one. This is right up his alley.” 

“We need to find him, and the others. I wonder why they haven’t called? It would be an easy enough way to locate them.” Bernie answered, worry coloring her voice. “I wonder if... Sam I’m going outside. Call me in.” 

Team RWBY, once again totally lost walked the tall pale woman stride out the front door and close it behind her. As soon as it closed the big guy, Sam, called out her name. Everything fell silent for a moment and nothing happened.

Nothing continued to happen. 

After a moment Ruby pulled open the door. 

“Miss, uh, Reaper? Sam called for you. Did you want to answer him?” The names still felt strange on her tongue. They weren’t even colors. The tall woman turned around, worry etched into every line of her face. She stepped back over the threshold.

“I didn’t feel it. I knew Heinrich and Mia couldn’t of course but James, and Grace.” the reaper sank into her chair, trying desperately to hold it together. “We have to find them. And I can’t even open the Veil. Come on Vigil, it’s time to head out.” Grim faced and silent Sam and Clara stood up, ready to go. Hugin hopped down and found a perch on Bernie’s shoulder. 

“Thank you, for your help. I mean it. And we would stay, there is a lot to talk about. But our family is missing, probably out there somewhere. We need to go.” Something in her heartbroken declaration seemed to touch team RWBY as each of them remembered what had passed when they had been separated. And how much it meant to be back together. As Bernie turned to go Weiss, Blake and Yang each shot Ruby a glance, looking to their leader for guidance and to set the tone. After a moment she dissolved into a swirl of rose petals and reformed between Bernie and the door. The reaper was surprised enough to pull back on instinct, thinking it was a shame that Marlene hadn’t come along. 

“Wait. Please. We... we need your help. The Grimm are getting stronger and I think you know what’s causing it. Or at least have a guess. If you can help us figure out what’s happening, and hopefully stop it, we’ll help you find your family.” 

Bernie paused for a moment, calculating as she stared down at the silver eyed girl. She wanted to protect her family, get them back together. But that wouldn’t solve the problem of the veil being closed. And, ultimately, it was her duty to preserve lives. “Okay. But here’s how it works. We start looking now. We can theorize while we search. And once we are all back together we’ll help stop the necromancer behind this.” 

“Lady I don’t understand half of what’s happened today but that works for me.” and with that Ruby Rose and Bernadette the Reaper shook hands. “First things first, we need to eat. And should probably introduce you to our friends. And call Jaune’s sister to let her know there are more guests tonight. Then we can plan and figure out where to look.” Ruby stepped back and looked at the strange team in front of her, pale white and tinged with a glowing purple, each one a warrior in their own right, a hunter or huntress from another world. 

“And you need a name, a team name I mean. Hmmm, Yang, Blake, Weiss? Any ideas?” 

“Hibiscus?” Blake called out after a moment, “HBCS? Though that does make the bird the leader.” 

“Well, that doesn’t sound to bad.” Hugin preened on Bernie’s shoulder. “I mean I am the elder of the Vigil.” Bernie playfully shoved him off of her shoulder, so he squawked and returned to his previous perch on top of the bust.

“Any other ideas? I admit I still don’t totally get the use of all these color names. But maybe one with me in charge?” 

“Bisque” Weiss interjected. “You know, that pale soup. BHSC. It leaves Bernadette as the leader.” The Vigil all shrugged at one another.

“Let’s go with that then.” Bernie confirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, finding out just what happened to James, Grace, Heinrich and Mia. I wonder how Hugin would feel if he knew someone was writing about him perching on a pallid bust of Pallas.


End file.
